Brian Harris named superintendent of Wheaton Warrenville District 200

Harris, 44, a St. Charles educator, will join District 200 in July

The Wheaton Warrenville Community Unit District 200 board has selected a St. Charles educator as the district's superintendent.

Brian Harris is the area assistant superintendent for education at St. Charles Community Unit School District 303. He will join District 200 on July 1.

Harris, 44, will replace acting Supt. Charles T. Baker, who has been at the helm since the Wheaton Warrenville board ousted Supt. Richard Drury in October. At the time of Drury's exit, a District 200 news release said only that "differences arose over future goals and the leadership and direction" of the district.

Harris' appointment was approved Wednesday.

"Dr. Harris' experience in a similar-sized district and dealing with challenging situations made us very comfortable that he would be able to lead our district with professionalism and the highest regard for our mission of inspiring all students to excel," District 200 board President Andy Johnson said in a statement.

Harris, who began his tenure in St. Charles in 1999 as a middle school principal, was one of two finalists and eight semifinalists for the job, district officials said. His current job includes overseeing three middle-school and two high-school principals.

He previously had been a junior high school principal in Mount Prospect Elementary District 57, a middle school associate principal and curriculum coordinator in Barrington Community Unit School District 220, and a teacher, coach and assistant principal at a middle school in Yorkville.

He began his career in 1987 as a social studies teacher in Waterman Junior-Senior High School in Waterman, Ill. He holds a bachelor's degree in teaching from the University of Illinois and master's and doctoral degrees in educational administration from Northern Illinois University.

District 200 has about 13,600 students in 20 schools from preschool to high school. The district covers Wheaton, Warrenville and parts of Carol Stream, Winfield and West Chicago.